


A Bat Comes out of a Storm / A Fox Offers Shelter for the Night / An Evening Not Alone

by StepperOfTheLongEarth



Series: Sonic Short Fic Collection [4]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: (sort of), Aged-Up Character(s), Bad Flirting, Coffee, Comfort, Cute, Dubious Morality, F/M, Flirting, Forehead Kisses, Implied Sexual Content, Laundry, Mentions of Sex, Mentions of Shadow, Non-Consensual Hugging, One Shot, Rain, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Showers, Slow Burn, Suggestive Themes, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:27:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23814583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StepperOfTheLongEarth/pseuds/StepperOfTheLongEarth
Summary: Tails wakes up to find some one else in his bed.Then he remembers how they got there.
Relationships: Miles "Tails" Prower/Rouge the Bat
Series: Sonic Short Fic Collection [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664122
Kudos: 16





	A Bat Comes out of a Storm / A Fox Offers Shelter for the Night / An Evening Not Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you see any typos. That would be greatly appreciated.

Tails blearily opened his eyes. A gap in the curtains had let a sliver of light fall over his face, the source for his awakening. He sighed as he pulled up the blanket over his face and turned to the side trying to go back to sleep. He froze when his half-closed eyes spotted someone next to him. Someone dark and snoring gently. Rouge the bat was sleeping peacefully next to him.

This started Tails enough to bring him wide awake. He had no idea why Rouge was in his bed but he was certain that it would be awkward when she woke up. He needed to be quiet and get away from there.

Tails was paralyzed by fear. If he was hasty then that was guaranteed to rouse Rouge. If he was too slow then she would wake up on her own. She stirred in her sleep causing Tails to tense, but she merely shifted deeper into her pillow. Wait, she had a pillow?

Tails examined her more closely. She had no makeup on, and she wasn’t wearing her usual outfit. Instead, she was wearing one of his large over-sized shirts he liked to laze about in. She appeared to be wearing nothing else from what he could see under the covers. Her wings, that were sticking out through holes that had been cut out of the shirt, were folded up against her body. She was gorgeous.

Tails had never considered Rouge to be beautiful before. Sure, she was dressed very provocatively most of the time, but here she seemed to radiate an aura that Tails found her impossible to look away from. He had wasted too much time. As if she could sense the fox looking at her, Rouge opened her eyes. She blinked at him slowly and then smiled. The bat gave a huge yawn and stretched in a way that Tails found cute.

“Morning Miles,” said Rouge as if she regularly woke up in his bed every day.

“Morning Rouge,” Tails echoed.

He did not know what else to say. Tails had known Rouge for a long time. It was not impossible that they could have done something last night. Not that he could recall what he had done yesterday just now. Rouge, however, did not appear to hold the same reservations.

“You look amazing baby,” Rouge told him.

Tails jerked back, wowed by the praise.

“Um. Thank you. You’re…wow…stunning!” he complimented.

They sat in silence, soaking in the tranquil moment, before Rouge leaned forward.

“So, was it good for you?” she said in sultry tones.

“Wha-what??” asked the fox.

His mind scrambled, trying to get his frazzled brain to pull up memories from the night before. His scrambling was interrupted by loud laughter from Rouge. He stared at her nonplussed until it clicked. Tails relaxed.

“Oh. You’re just messing with me.”

“Yup,” Rouge confirmed.

“What are you doing in my bed anyway?” Tails asked.

Rouge tilted her head to the side.

“Oh Tails, don’t you remember? After everything that you did to me?” she asked teasingly.

“Rouge,” said Tails patiently.

“Sorry. Do you really not remember?” the bat asked.

“I’m barely awake right now,” admitted Tails.

Rouge settled back down. She propped her head up with one hand, the other trailing down her side.

“Well, I can’t speak for you, but I had the greatest sex in my entire-!” she began before Tails protested.

“ROUGE!”

“OK! OK! I’ll stop,” laughed the bat. “You make it way too easy.”

“I just need to wake up a bit more and then I can…” Tails paused.

The memories were coming back to him slowly. They were little pieces of sensation that did not make a full picture. If only he could see the image on the box to complete the puzzle, then he could make sense of the scattered fragments.

The running of the shower.  
The brewing coffee.  
A ruined outfit.  
Digging through kitchen drawers for the scissors.  
A wet couch…

“It had been raining badly,” Tails said slowly.

“That’s an understatement,” interjected Rouge. “That was the worst storm I have ever seen this side of the zone.”

Tails carried on, ignoring the bat. “It was late when I heard a knock on my door. When I opened it you were there and you asked...”

* * *

“Can I come in? I hate to ask but your place was nearby and well,” she made a sweeping gesture at herself. She was dripping wet from the rain and, Tails notice, shivering. How long had she been out in the weather?

“Oh alright,” relented Tails opening the door wider. “Get in.”

Rouge squealed with delight and swooped out of the storm. She was soaked! From top to bottom everything about her was waterlogged.

“I thought that suit of yours kept the rain off,” noted Tails shutting the door behind her.

Rouge shrugged causing a sizable amount of water to cascade off her.

“Doesn’t do a thing when the water gets _in_ the suit,” Rouge told him.

“It’s raining that bad?” asked the fox.

“Yeah! What, did you think I came in just to mess with you?” she asked.

“I mean, that would be something you would do,” Tails muttered.

“Fair. Can you get me something warm to drink? I’m freezing.”

“How do you like your coffee?” Tails asked, walking with her to his living room.

“Black with three sugars please,” Rouge answered.

“Alright, you just sit here, and I’ll get it for you,” said Tails, walking past her to the kitchen and got a pot started.

He preferred a latte himself and he prepared all the necessities for both as the coffee brewed.

Rouge was waiting on the couch as Tails came back with the two warm mugs of liquid. He handed her the black and then sat in a chair across from her. Rouge sipped gratefully, letting the warm sensation spread through her body. They sat like that for several moments before Rouge broke the silence.

“Hey, listen, the storm doesn’t look like it’s going to be letting up until late tonight. Can I stay here for the evening?”

“Sure,” Tails shrugged. “That shouldn’t be a problem. We can just pull out the bed from the couch. Would that work.”

Rouge got a funny look on her face. “This couch? The one I’m sitting on? The one where you offered me to sit in my still wet clothing?”

Tails looked at her blankly, then at the now wet couch, and back to her again. Slowly he lowered his face into his hands with a small groan.

“God I am an idiot!” he said.

Rouge patted him on the back of his head.

“Shh baby! It was a mistake is all. I’ll just sleep somewhere else if you got it.”

“I don’t,” whispered Tails.

“Then… Oh my~ Tails! Are you suggesting what I think you are? How bold!” Rouge declared radiating amusement.

“I said no such thing!” argued Tails, face now upright and glaring at Rouge.

The bat put up her hands in mock innocence, careful not to spill her coffee.

“You invite a lady into your home, give her a drink, and then offer her to come to your bed. That is some classic wooing strategy if I ever saw it. Tails, I am impressed! I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“I’m not asking to sleep with you!” protested the fox, cheeks burning red.

“Aw, you’re not?” asked the crestfallen Rouge, face now contorted into an approximation of what a disappointed face would look like, but Tails knew that she was trying to hold back laughter.

“No!” answered Tails firmly.

“Shame,” said Rouge, finishing her drink. “If I am going to spend the night, I want a shower. I need to get these chills out of me! And I need some dry clothes too.”

“Oh…right…” said Tails weakly.

Rouge cocked an eyebrow at that remark.

“What? You think I would sleep in these?” she asked gesturing to her still soaked clothes.

“No…” responded the fox. “I just didn’t think about it.”

Rouge finished her coffee and then let out a long-contented breath.

“that was excellent Tails! Thank you!”

“No problem,” said Tails.

He had hardly touched his own beverage through the conversation he had been so distracted. Not that Rouge was done, Tails realized that he had things he needed to do. He set his cup down hurriedly next to Rouges.

“Where is the shower?” asked Rogue standing up.

“Down the hall and the second door on your right,” Tails answered pointing to the door. “Towels are in the cabinet under the sink.”

“Perfect!” exclaimed Rouge the mischievous smile returning to her face. “But don’t you want to see me without the towel first?”

“I’m good thanks!” Tails replied quickly averting his gaze from the bat.

“How about you join me?” asked Rouge walking right up to him with only a few inches separating them. “It could be fun~”

“How about I get you those clothes?” asked Tails hurriedly.

“Fine. I’ll take a shower and then you can peep in on me after you find the skimpiest outfit for me!” Rouge replied turning on her heals and sauntering through the hall door.

“I will not!” shouted the fox after her.

Rouge did not reply but simply blew Tails a kiss as she left his sight.

Tails face was burning as he slumped back into the chair. Talking to Rouge was exhausting. He knew that he should not take anything she said seriously but he felt like there was a limit to be enforced. He picked up his coffee absently and took a drink. It was cooled now and did nothing to sooth his nerves.

He heard the shower turn on and supposed he had better find Rouge something to wear. Tails knew that if he did not the bat would be perfectly happy to sleep in the nude across from him all night without anything between them, and that was something that Tails needed to stop right now.

He went up to his bedroom and raided his dresser. A lot of options were discarded immediately as Rouge would not fit into them due to her…assets in the front. They simply would not be big enough. There were a few contenders, but Tails settled on an oversized comfortable t-shirt that he had gotten ages ago that he thought would look good on Rouge. He also picked a few pairs of yoga pants, Rouge had business in the front and a party in the back.

Tails didn’t know how he felt about Rouge at that moment. He liked her as a friend obviously, otherwise he wouldn’t be putting so much effort into helping her. But he did not want anything more out of tonight's encounter than to get to bed and wake up in the morning and forget the whole thing and not be embarrassed. Determined not to let Rouge play up the whole "sexy woman in a nerd’s home" angle any longer, Tails set off to place the clothes outside of the bathroom.

He was in the living room on the way to the hall, glaring at the soaked patch of the couch when he realized something important: Rouge wouldn’t be able to put on any shirt because of her wings! He made a detour into the kitchen. Setting the clothes aside, he began to dig around the drawers looking for some scissors, finally finding a pair that were decent. Tails set it on top of his stack and hauled it all down the hall.

Outside the bathroom door, Tails could still hear the running water. Water by itself has a distinct sound to it and water hitting a person at irregular intervals has a different sound entirely. Tails tried hard not to listen too closely and pick out the differences.

“Hey, I got you some clothes!” Tails called out.

“Excellent! Hand them too me when I am done,” Rouge called back.

“No way!” said Tails.

“Am I really that horrible to look at?” Rouge asked.

“No, but you’re doing this just because you think it’s funny!” called back Tails.

“It is _hilarious_ watching you squirm,” said Rouge.

Tails did not respond but instead sat down with his back to the wall just to the right of the door. The clothes and the scissors sat to the left of him. He listened to the water running trying very hard not to imagine what the individual that was currently in the way of the droplets looked like

The sound abruptly cut off and gave Tails a sense of relief. Followed immediately by a sense of dread. _What was Rouge going to do now?_ He did not have to wait long as, on the heels of that thought, the door to the bathroom opened. Tails pointedly looked away from the opening.

“So, where are they?” the bat asked.

“The what?” asked Tails still not looking.

“The clothes silly,” replied Rouge. “And you can turn around I have a towel on.”

Reluctantly Tails turned his head. Rouge did have a towel on around her, hiding front and back, but draped down enough for her wings tostick out without issue. Her hair was also up in another towel the way Tails had seen several other women do and had no idea how they did it. Maybe it was just instinct. This was all running through Tails head in an effort to distract him from the fact that Rouge was in front of him, with nothing but a towel on, and asking him a question that his mind was refusing to make sense of.

“Right behind you,” Tails said, and the stupidity of his predicament hit him a second after the train wreck of words left the station of his mouth.

If she turned around to pick them up...!

“Hold on! Let me get them,” he said quickly trying to cover up the near mishap.

He was about to reach over when he realized that he was doomed either way. That position put him at just the right angle to look up Rouge's-! He didn’t let that thought have a chance to form before he stood up and walked around Rouge. Keeping his eyes on her, making sure that she wasn't doing anything illicit, as he grabbed the pile and handed them to Rouge, minus the scissors. It occurred to him that he was staring at Rouge mostly naked. _God damn it, he couldn’t win!_

“Thank a million Tails,” said the condescending grin of Rouge.

Tails fumed. Had she planed that somehow??!?

“But I don’t think this shirt will work,” she said holding it up for inspection. “The back won’t work with my girlish figure.”

“By that you mean your wings won’t fit,” correct Tails.

“Well yes, but that wouldn’t be as fun to say,” admitted Rouge.

Tails held up the scissors. “I did think of that possibility.”

“Good call! You really are the smart one,” complimented Rouge, turning around showing him her back and her wings. “Can you measure them really fast? I would _hate_ to cut up your clothes more than needed.”

Tails looked to the heavens for guidance. None was forthcoming and even if there was having a deity speak to him about what to do would only cause more issues.

“Fine,” Tails conceded utterly defeated. He took the shirt and began eyeballing the distance needed to cut.

“Better just hold them for a better look,” Rouge offered, flapping her wings to rattle the fox.

Cautiously, Tails lightly grasped the wings. He had been fumbling with her wings for less than ten seconds when he shifted his grip and Rouge let out a low loud moan.

“Oh Ta~ils~ Not so rough! Don’t you know I’m sensitive there~?”

“What?!?” spluttered Tails.

“Oh yes. Rub me harder baby~” simpered Rouge.

Tails was about to go into a panic. To drop the scissors and run screaming away from the hall when reality kicked back in. He simply shifted again and started to cut the back to the shirt.

“No you’re _not_ ,” Tails argued. “Stop fucking with me unless you want me to stab you with these scissors.”

“Aww, you’re no fun!” Rouge pouted but she was quiet while Tails worked.

There was no noise apart from the snipping and Tails appreciated it. He pointedly did not look at Rouges bareback but kept his eyes and mind on task, afraid that Rouge would do something else to make him uncomfortable. After an eternity, but was only a few minutes, the holes were cut, and Tails handed the shirt back to Rouge.

“You should be a tailor, that was fast!” Rouge praised him. “I can use you during my shopping trips. You would be handy when getting just the right clothes.”

“There probably is some that are made for people with wings,” speculated Tails.

“You are dead wrong baby. I have to order all mine special made, else I’m stuck using the old trimmers to make room for these,” Rouge flapped her wings to illustrate the point. “Let me get changed so I can go back to teasing you some more. Be right back <3”

Rouge closed the door leaving a vacuum where the bat had sucked all the energy in the room. Tails only had a moment to breath, before the door flung open again. Tails was once again staring at a half-naked Rouge.

“Why aren’t you wearing pants?!” Tails looked away covering his eyes to try to unsee the image he had just witnessed.

“Those pull overs are nice, but this is what I normally sleep in,” Rouge said stepping out with a back holding her damp clothes.

“Really? Knowing you I was expecting you to sleep in the nude!” Tails said peeking through his fingers.

Rouge looked amazing in the shirt. Even with it being a few sizes bigger she still filled it out nicely, the contortions of her body playing up with the folds. But there was still enough loose cloth to make it say that she could slip it off anytime she wanted. It came down to above her knees sparing Tails the sight of her...well...

“I mean, if you insist,” Rouge said reaching down.

“NO THAT’S FINE!” Tails managed. “I CAN LIVE WITH THAT!”

“I bet you can,” mused Rouge.

Tails hung his head. There was no way he wasn’t going to look like a pervert after this.

“Are you done torturing me? I’m tired and would like to go to bed sometime before next week,” Tails asked.

“Oh honey, I have _allll_ night to torture you. I’ll be right there in your dreams,” Rouge replied. “But for now, yes we should go to bed. Where should I hang this up?”

She held up her bag of wet clothes.

“Just the laundry room,” Tails sighed. “I’ll show you.”

“Thanks sweetie,” Rouge smiled, following Tails down two doors before entering the modest room. It wasn’t much, just a washer, dryer, a few racks and a basket full of clean boxers that Tails hadn’t got around to folding and storing. Tails was to frazzled even to try to hide them away instead he turned to Rouge and holding out his hand.

“Clothes please.”

“What?” asked Rouge.

“The bag please,” Tails reiterated.

“Oh. Right! Here,” Rouge handed him the bag. The fox began to take out her outfit piece by piece.

“Just leave it out to dry for the morning,” Rouge told him as he was beginning to eye the washer. “The latex is going to be especially difficult without the proper treatment to clean it.”

“Right,” said Tails hanging up the bodysuit and watching the water drip to the floor.

It looked smaller than it should, now that it was not on its owner. He also hung up the rest of her underthings, getting a giggle out of Rouge, as he tried to not stare at the red bra and panties that she had been wearing underneath the outfit. The last sock was hung, and Tails was about to turn away when he felt something behind him grab him. He was startled, but one look at the mirror told him who it was.

“Rouge, why are you hugging me?”

“Just wanted to thank you,” she said.

“And your gratitude is hugging me because?”

“Just to be friendly,” said Rouge.

“Sure, friendly,” said Tails.

“What? Were friends, right?” asked Rouge.

“I mean... Not very close ones,” said Tails. “More like acquaintances.”

“But... We are friends?” asked Rouge again.

“Of course,” Tails answered looking at Rouge in the mirror trying to suss out the meaning of her words.

“And that’s it?” she asked.

“Should we be anything more?” asked Tails.

“I suppose not,” Rouge answered.

There was a sadness in her eyes that Tails did not understand. The grip Rouge had on him was not tight, but she gave a squeeze and Tails didn’t know why. She looked...something. Tails had head of the term "touch starved" before and guessed that was what she was feeling. _Oh wow. When was the last time someone had hugged him?_ He was not sure. He did not want her to stop now. Instead, he took his hands and laid them over hers. They stayed like that for a while, just letting themselves each other.

“Thank you.”

Tails did not recognize the voice at first. Rouge sounded so...vulnerable?

“For what?” he asked.

“Everything. That rain was bad, and I didn’t really...want to go home all by myself after that,” she admitted. “I... just needed a _friend_ to talk to I guess.”

“It’s fine really,” said Tails.

Rouge’s face slumped into the fox’s shoulder and rubbed her face into his back.

“Rouge?” Tails asked.

“You smell nice,” Rouge told him.

“Thank you,” said Tails. “You smell...about the same. I think it’s the shampoo.”

“It smells better on you,” said Rouge.

“Rouge?” Tails asked again.

Rouge let out a soft breath, not enough for a laugh and not long enough to be a chuckle.

“I’m tired Tails. I think we should go to bed.”

“Yeah,” Tails agreed, startled to find that he wanted to keep standing there. But Rouge let go, leaving Tails hands with nothing to hold on to, so he dropped them to his sides. “I suppose I should brush my teeth then.”

“I definitely don’t want to kiss you if your breath smells,” Rouge teased, back to her usual flirty self.

Tails did not buy it.

“Would you like some mouthwash? Yours can’t be all that much better.”

Rouge took it in stride.

“I’ll lead the way. I do know where your bathroom is now.”

They wandered back over to the bathroom where Tails insisted that Rouge went first but she just pulled him in behind her.

“Oh, grow up,” she said, opening a cabinet door. “Where taking care of teeth not watching each other poop.”

“Thanks Rouge. That was just the image I needed in my head at one o’clock in the morning,” grumbled the fox.

He took his toothbrush out of its holder and loaded the paste, watching Rouge fill up a glass with green liquid. She had a grimace on her face.

“Don’t like it?” he asked.

“The stuff burns! Blah, disgusting!” she answered back.

“I’ll lend you my brush,” Tails offered holding up the unused toothbrush.

Rouge rolled her eyes as she put the container down, her other hand still holding the small cup.

“I’m not putting that anywhere near my mouth,” she said.

“Really? I’m surprised. I was expecting you to be thrilled about having _something_ in your mouth,” he quipped.

There was a heavy silence as Rouge looked at him in shock.

“Sorry, that was rude of me,” Tails said hastily. “That was rather a crude joke and-”

Tails was interrupted once again by Rouge laughing hysterically putting down her glass as she shook with mirth. One hand clutched the sill for support while the other went up to her mouth to stifle her merriment.

She calmed down enough to say, “Don’t apologize, that was funny! I only wish I thought of it _first!_ I really must be tired.”

“I don’t know why I was worried,” said Tails but he had a stupid smile on his face that he did not know how to explain.

He let the faucet run, letting the bristles and paste get wet before he began to brush. Rouge let off a few more giggles and then downed her cup, swishing the contents back and forth. There was quiet for two minutes before simultaneous spits filled the basin of the sink. Tails filled a glass of water, sloshed, spit again, before refilling and drinking it down. He filled again and handed it to Rouge, who repeated the process.

When she set the cup down, Tails saw that there was lipstick on the rim. Oh well. He cleaned the cup once a week anyway.

“Bedtime?” yawned the bat.

“Just wait one moment,” Tails cautioned as he left the room in a hurry.

Rouge blinked at the spot where Tails had been. There should be a cartoon outline where he stood but sadly the universe did not provide for the comedic opportunity and simply stayed empty space.

“Where did he run off to?” Rouge asked to no one stifling another yawn. “I don’t even know where his bedroom is-”

Then it hit her.

“Oh, the little punk has gone to change. Shit! Where did he go?”

Rouge sprinted from the bathroom peering around to see if she could see the blur of a shoe whipping around one of the doors. Instead she saw a sauntering Tails, already changed, coming back down the hall.

“Dammit,” she swore under her breath.

Tails waltzed up to her and held out his arm out to her with his fist against his side.

“Why are you giving me your elbow?” she asked.

“*sigh* It’s what proper gentlemen are supposed to do when taking a lady anywhere,” Tails sighed.

“When did you become a proper gentleman?” Rouge asked, taking the proffered arm anyway.

“Three years ago?” Tails guessed.

“Nah. I would say about tonight,” Rouge corrected.

“And by that you mean...?” Tails asked wearily.

“That’s right, I’m going to make you a proper gentleman,” Rouge declared.

“How about tomorrow?” asked Tails opening the last door and ushering them into his bedroom.

The lights were on and the bed covers were slightly crumpled from when Tails had to make a dash for his pajamas from under his pillow.

“It’s one-thirty,” Rouge said gesturing at Tails digital alarm.

“And I said tomorrow,” said Tails.

Rouge yawned again. “Fine. You don’t know what you’re missing.”

She laid down on top of the covers, shifting this way and that, trying to get comfortable. Tails shut off the main light, a bed side lamp still glowing lighting his way back. He pulled up the sheets and slid in trying not to touch Rouge. The bat finally got to a place she liked and pulled the blankets out from under her, putting her on the same level as Tails. They both looked at each other awkwardly, neither one wanting to break the silence. Finally, the bat could not stand it anymore.

“Could you hit the light?” she asked.

“Oh right! Sorry!” said Tails, turning and flicking the switch.

They were plunged into darkness but not complete black as the alarm clock left them with a little blue glow.

“That’s better,” said Rouge, settling down again.

“Yeah,” said Tails.

The silence returned and Rouge was struck by a thought.

“You could turn around.”

“What?” Tails asked.

“You could face the other way if this is too weird for you,” Rouge told him.

“And have you grab me from behind as a joke?” asked Tails.

“Damn! Didn’t even think about that! Stop giving me ideas at two o’clock in the morning.”

“Is it really two?” asked Tails.

Rouge nodded.

“Fuck,” Tails whispered.

“Definitely too late for that,” Rouge whispered back.

Tails snorted.

“Rouge, sometime I can’t tell when you are being serious or not.”

“For reference, that was a joke,” Rouge replied.

“For you yeah. It’s never too late for that.”

This time it was Rouge’s turn to snort.

“Hey Tails?”

“Yeah?” he asked.

“I wasn’t really joking when I was talking about all that stuff you know.”

“I figured.”

“Yeah,” Rouge confirmed.

“So now what?” asked the fox sleepily.

“Now what, what?” Rouge asked back.

“Do we have sex now?” asked Tails.

“No way. I’m *yawn* way to tired now to enjoy it,” said Rouge.

“Not now, now,” Tails tried to explain, his brain slowing down. “I mean like...well some other now.”

“Some other now?” Rouge asked slowly.

“Like...in the future?” he asked.

“I mean...do you want to?” she asked.

“No? Well maybe. I want to do something first,” Tails said.

“And that is?” Rouge asked.

“...a date,” Tails said.

“A date?”

“A date,” confirmed Tails.

“Fuck, a date,” Rouge said.

“Yeah,”

“I don’t know. That sounds like it would be...huh...you know, I had this whole argument planned out in my head, but it’s just gone now. Just, whoosh~ Gone,” said Rouge.

“That a no?” asked the fox.

“Not a yes,” answered the bat.

“Huh,”

“What?”

“I just thought that you would...”

“Would what?”

“...When you hugged me in the laundry room...”

“Hmm?”

“...You just felt so...”

“Yeah?”

“...lonely.”

“You got that from a hug?”

“You were shaking a little bit.”

“Was I?”

“Yes.”

“No way.”

“Felt like it.”

“Hmm,” said Rouge again.

“What?”

“Nothing just ‘hmm’-ing.”

“OK.”

Silence.

“Rouge?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you like me?”

“What?”

“Like, emotionally?”

“Is it possible to like someone without it being emotional?”

“No like, romantically?”

“Ha.”

More silence.

“Well?” Tails asked.

“Well what?”

“Do you?”

“Oh...um.”

“Yes?”

“Uh.”

“No?”

“Err.”

“Not sure?”

“Let’s pick that one.”

“Yeah that’s fair.”

Even more silence.

“I think I like you though.”

“What?” asked Rouge.

“There’s just...something about you that normally I shouldn’t like but there is just a quality about you that really makes me...admire you?”

“...”

“Yeah. I think that’s it.”

“I’m not sure that...you should admire me Tails.”

“Why not?”

“...I’m...not a good person.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I steal things Miles. I take things that I want, and I don’t give a damn about the consequences.”

“So?”

“I make crude sex jokes when I shouldn’t.”

“And?”

“...”

“I admire the first one and the second one is starting to grow on me.”

“...”

“Don’t make a joke out of that please.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Yeah you were.”

“...yeeeeaaaaahhhhhh.”

“Ha. Ha.”

The Deepest silence of all.

“We could you know,” yawned Tails, eyes now closed.

“Could what?”

“You know.”

“Oh yeah. You still on about that?”

“Want to talk about something else?”

“...I mean...as long as it’s not about dates.”

“Not everything is casual sex Rouge.”

“Yeah...”

“...Did you really not want to go home alone?”

“No.”

“...What about Shadow?”

“Ha. Can you imagine?”

“...no. Yeah, oh wow. I thought you two were like...a thing.”

“Only in my imagination.”

“What a faker.”

“He really is.”

“If I had a beautiful woman like you on a team, why I would...”

“Yes?”

“Ask you out on a nice dinner and some other complimentary activity, followed by drinks and then an evening at one of our respective residence.”

“How romantic.”

“And _then_ we would have roaring hot sex.”

“ _Now_ your talking. Even if I know your joking.”

“Who says I’m joking?”

The silence returned.

“I... wouldn’t mind that,” said Rouge.

There was no reply. Rouge had had her eyes closed to but she opened them to see Tails slowly breathing.

“Oh,” whispered Rouge.

He had fallen asleep. Rouge watched him for a long time, just admiring how he looked. Then, quietly, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

“Goodnight Miles,” she whispered. “See you in my dreams.”

Then she leaned back and closed her eyes.

* * *

The sunlight was glaring through the crack as Tails and Rouge talked. About the storm, last night, little things that didn’t matter. Tails was enjoying himself and felt safer around Rouge somehow. His stomach growled, reminding him that it was morning and he hadn’t had breakfast. He was getting up to make some for them both when she grabbed his arm.

“Hey, don’t go just yet.”

“Don’t you want breakfast?” asked the fox.

“I’d love some. But I need to say something.”

Rouge summoned her courage. “I just wanted to say that I am sincerely sorry for last night! That was crude and downright sexual harassment and I feel just _terrible_ about it!”

“Rouge...” said Tails.

“Let me finish! It was in bad taste and I should have stopped way sooner than I did, and I feel bad about forcing you along. Could you ever forgive me?”

She laid face down, bowing hands on knees asking for forgiveness.

“Rouge, you don’t need to apologize,” began Tails again.

“Yes, I do! It was shitty and was taking advantage of you!”

Tails wanted to argue, that it was alright. That everything would be fine. That just because there had been some laughs at his expense that it was OK. That he was a guy, and that meant what she was doing was wrong but- He stopped and let out a long breath.

“Rouge, I mean this with sincerity, I forgive you. I don’t think I should have to, but I do. I’ll do it but Rouge, you have to do something for me.”

“Name it,” Rouge was looking at him with tears threatening to spill out of her eyes.

“You have to go on a proper date with me.”

Rouge blinked and the sadness was gone replaced by confusion.

“What?”

“You heard me. I won’t forgive you until you let me take you out,”

“What?”

Tails leaned in and grabbed her hands.

“Listen. I like you,” he said.

“I thought that you were kidding,” Rouge said. “Last night...you have to be kidding me. Right??!”

“No.”

“Fuck,” she whispered.

She looked down at herself with a critical eye.

“I don’t know if my outfit will be dry enough,” Rouge said. “I guess, I’ll just have to go out like this. Ha Ha!”

“Put on some pants. Then will talk,” Tails responded, laughing himself.

They were quiet for a moment. Then Rouge found it in herself to speak again.

“Listen, can I make breakfast? As a thank you for, well, last night?”

“Oh no!” Tails said. “You are the guest; therefore, _I_ make the breakfast. Besides, you’re probably a terrible cook.”

“Au contraire!” declared Rouge. “You see this figure babe? Do think I keep that by being awesome at kicking ass? _No sir!_ I have to keep up my diet AND exercise. I am an excellent cook.”

“OK! OK! You win. Lead on. If you know where the kitchen is.”

“Not a clue. If only there was a strong, handsome fox who owned this house to show me the way there.”

“I’ll see if I can find one on my way over,” said Tails.

“And modest too!” said Rouge.

“Alright flatterer, up you get,” Tails pulled Rouge up from the bed and together they made their way to the door.

They lingered, neither wanting the night to be over despite the dawn. They looked at each other, neither knowing what to say. Rouge felt suddenly nervous, she tried to push past Tails, but he stopped her by putting his arm down between her and the door. Tails felt good, he did not know what was possessing him, but he felt daring, like he could fight a lion.

“I don’t remember everything we said last night but there was one thing you did say that stuck...you were hoping I would take you up on your offers, weren’t you?”

Rouge looked away, trying to deny what her bubbly mouth refused to stop saying. But she looked back and felt herself...oh fuck.

“Yes.”

“A part of me wanted to,” said Tails.

She didn’t respond.

“A part of me wanted to do something else,”

“Oh?” squeaked Rouge.

“Yeah.”

“Like what?”

“Something like this.”

Tails leaned in, he wasn’t as brave as some of his friends were, they would have gone for the lips. But Tails went for the cheek, maybe it was less personal, but he felt it was more _right_ in that moment. He wrapped her up in a tight hug squeezing her close, feeling her pressed up against himself. He didn’t blush but looked at her with shinning eyes as he held her.

Rouge did blush. Her cheeks burned as Tails rendered her speechless, not with words but with unspoken feelings. If moments could be a color it would have been golden. They did not say anything more, they didn’t need to. Tails opened the door, and together they walked into the bright clear future.

**Author's Note:**

> “I would have gone for the lips.”   
>  “Yeah, but I’m not you, am I?”   
>  “Oh god you are not. Thank goodness!”


End file.
